Thelma's Embroidery

With all my sewing lately and the use of some vintage fabrics that I "stole" from Mum's which were originally her Mum's, I remembered I had a bag stashed away of some of my Grandmothers other bits and bobs and probably more recent linens. I excavated it out....and it was a mini treasure trove of forgotten goodies packed away from various house moves. I thought I might share some of her things and embroidery handiwork over the next few weeks. Of course Mum has the "real" treasures safely packed at her place, including a pair of my great Grandmothers bloomers!

This little piece struck me. The photo's really don't do it or the colours justice but the detail is amazing. So pretty......
and not to be packed away again (I know...some would shoot me). It now has a special place where it can be really appreciated and where it would make Thelma smile... on Mia's drawers.

And just a little extra on request.....a couple of dodgy photo's (taken quickly the other day to send to my sister for a giggle) of the new "do's".
and yes Bam is playing safely with some matches! Well they are safety matches. ;) His 3rd and 4th tracks aren't really visible on his crown.

Bye Bye Baby

I managed to save this long baby curl on Friday night after Mia's DIY haircut, in the blink of an eye, with Mummy's sewing scissors while Mummy left the room to put away some washing. (Yes I sometimes fold washing on a Friday night).
This is maybe about 1/8th of what was removed!
Oh Bam got one too, don't you worry. He is now sporting some very cool tracks ala Mia. He has been nicknamed "Backstreet Bammy" for the moment much to our amusement! Poor little man.
Mia is also sporting a new, above the shoulder, do....it actually suits her...she looks quiet grown up now.
And Mummy?....well I have slowly come to an accepting place. We can't keep baby locks forever can we? I have a "thing" about not cutting hair especially on my little ones. Oh well I always have thought long hair looks cool on little boys....hubby is fighting me on this one already though.....should've kept my plans to myself. ;)

It's official....

I don't like galvanised fencing hooks! Here's the little bugger.....

Humorously the best of many that didn't get spat back at me today by the hardwood of the fence. It's the same story every time I try and do this. After receiving a few predictable light blows to my thumb I managed to attach some leftover trellis to the fence in preparation for planting some gourd seeds. They were kindly sent to me by Vi at Vi's Corner. I can't wait to get these growing.
In the meantime....my potato has sprouted and is growing nicely. The other one has rotted (I left it too long before planting) so I have replaced it with another.
The snow peas have sprouted also and my french bean seedlings are doing well.

I also dug in the edges for another vege bed in the lawn today. It's not too huge as I've just used old sleepers scavenged from around the yard but it will be plenty to satisfy my latest addiction to onions....plus we need a ready garlic supply. I'd also like some kale and am sure this would make a great companion plant. Will post pics when I get back to it and get some layering done.....I am going no dig with this one.

I am off to have a look at Diggers and Green Harvest (my very favourite garden sources) for some lovely seeds! Hmm maybe some elephant garlic? We may smell but I'm certain we'd have a healthy winter!

Anzac Day

Today we most respectfully remembered.....
and baked some Anzac biscuits.

Today was also the last day of downshifting week. We have filled our week with lots of mindful activities. Even though all was not very different to our usual lives it was great to spend some "conscious" time doing things we love.
In addition to not much TV viewing through the week we also managed to achieve a saving of about $40 on our weekly shop. I have a bag of warm winter clothes waiting to go to a little girl in need through my Mother in law at Protective Services and have some more old clothes in the sewing basket now waiting to be re-purposed.
And tonight's dinner accompaniment was a very cool, and entertaining, walk down memory lane.....have a listen......

Happy weekend all.....

Downshifting remedies....

Some remedies were needed by both plant and beast here this week and being Downshifting Week I was more than motivated to make them up yesterday. The "feathery(less) ones" appear to be having a moult and seem a little lackluster and eggless at the moment so treat time it was for them.

I made up a tonic by mixing together bran, cornmeal, skim milk powder, chopped comfrey and parsley. I usually like to add brewers yeast and seaweed as well but with none on hand in our pantry we happily made do.
The girls were pretty happy too. My chooky bible has provided great ideas and recipes for a long time now to care for my girls well. I'm looking forward to mid winter when I want to experiment with adding some black pepper to the mix as a cold weather stimulant. And....

My poor ever suffering cumquat tree was also in desperate need of some doctoring...suffering with some chronic citrus leaf miner and sooty mould it was looking quite sad and sorry..... so it received a liberal spray with some homemade white oil.
1tsp vegetable oil
1/2tsp soap
500mls water
Mix oil and soap with a little water first then combine with 500mls of water in a spray bottle. There are lots of little variations on this recipe but the ingredients are usually the same.

We will see how the little one picks up. I'm not that keen on cumquat's...they are not my favourite citrus but this tree has been a companion for many years, and any jam made from it has always tasted good to me purely for the fact that I grew it and made it. ;)

This weeks handmades.....

Not a lot of sewing has been happening here lately unfortunately but this is what has been created this week.
This is little Cous Cous and Shanti.....another pattern from Softies.
Cous Cous is named because on a recent shopping trip I announced to Mia that we just needed to grab some couscous and we would be going, to which she replied "puss puss?! Where's the puss puss?". Shanti is because these two little guys are made from some of my old yoga pants.
They are being much loved....and apparently Shanti tastes kinda good!

This is a Mothers Day gift for my Mum. It's made from my Grandmothers old fabrics and lace. I've been loving sewing things with this rose fabric lately....you've probably noticed it in a few projects. I've been enjoying the feeling of connectedness to my past and the women of my family when sewing with it.

Downshifting Tuesday....

Today we downshifted to the park. We took a short stroll to the end of the street and spent an hour or so just watching the water, it's reflections, the flowers, the birds, the fish....and butterflies! We wandered in the sun wherever we felt like....and of course had a swing to the sounds of both my children giggling before heading home. What a gorgeous Autumn day it was today!
How lucky were we?.....

Downshifting Monday....

I seem to post a lot of pictures of our food......
We are not gluttons I promise you!
I just find something so gratifying in preparing and attractively presenting real food, from scratch....and then even better....surveying it's enjoyable disappearance into other grateful bodies...being that of my beautiful family of course...
This is yesterdays lunch...delicious use of leftovers.... Some baking.....cinnamon scrolls for hubby's lunch (and some morning tea for us). Mia invented a new kneading method on these ones....with her elbows!
Dinner....ok we did not slaughter the meat nor did I make the pasta but would have loved to and will do when I finally get a pasta machine!
In between cooking yesterday we got dirty. And I mean really really, can't see your skin, need to hose you off dirty! The vege beds needed some attention and weeding and I started mulching the paths between the beds.....no more weeds....no more unnecessary moisture loss. Today we plan for more and to hopefully start digging up a new bed altogether.....after some adventures down at the park though!

International Downshifting Week

I'm a bit late in posting about it but it's International Downshifting Week! April 19th to April 25th.
We're definately taking part! At first I was a bit stuck for any real contribution ideas in addition to the suggestions as we already do most on the list, bar the volunteer work....but I have since come up with ideas expanding on what we do even further and am looking forward to the rest of my downshifting week...and posting about it.....maybe as we go, maybe not....depends how down we get.
I dare you to join in! Happy living!

A Weekend in Pictures.....Part 3

My child transforms herself into a "babooshka" (AKA Matryoshka doll) complete with bindi, nail polish and lipstick .....she has one and just loves it.....however she confuses them with traditionally dressed Indian women....even expressing loudly when we see these beautiful women when we are out and about, "Look Mummy there's a beautiful Babooshka!!!".
Happy Sunday all.......

A Weekend in Pictures.....Part 2

Saturday Afternoon:::
After the craziness of the morning our afternoon was spent reading library books and playing. We decided to paint some pictures from our reading with our watercolours. Family......

and what the (very happy looking) echidna eats for lunch....ants!
Sunday Morning:::
Our plan to drive and spend the day at Grandma and Grandad's "farm" at Pottsville has been thwarted today by the weather. Despite it being only quite overcast here it is raining and very very gusty there. No running, exploring, "rainforest" walks, kite flying, fairy chasing, tree climbing or fish and eel watching would be had there today...and definitely no trip to the beach.
And after caressing our walls again, due to a restless and teething bub, on a couple of occaisions during the wee hours of the night last night....a slightly sleep deprived Mama is probably better off not getting behind the wheel but having a day playing here and waiting for our "Daddy" to come home from work.
I realised with bleary eyes last night that I am getting to know our little home quite intimately in the dark and how that "dark" changes cyclically depending on the moonlight. It is a very different place when it's just the "three" of us. So quiet and calm....and now somewhat chilly.....without singing, laughing, yelling, music, scooties knocking walls, spilt drinks and paints, food, toys and messes. How our home houses us and the happenings of our day so graciously and then rests peacefully by night with the occasional patter of my bare feet only. I think I am finally after two and a bit years really falling in love with our second home. It is good to us.
I also realised with each groan and forcing of my tired body out of bed that come morning lost sleep doesn't really matter when my cuddles are sought and lapped up with such abandon that can only come from a child. How necessary I am to them and how necessary they are to me despite the, at times, arduous nature of my mothering them. So on that note....and with all the Sunday morning love we could muster.....the WHO bread that we could all smell baking during the night which was meant to travel with us for our treat was devoured for Sunday breakfast at home.
As for the rest of the day...well....our home is going to smell like food all day....and I plan on doing nothing else but just being here. The fresh baking bread aroma has now already shifted into the comforting smell of our dinner cooking in the slow cooker. More painting of "bear hunts" was requested and is happening behind me as I type to the tune of "The Bear went over the Mountain".....

and what happens when my back is turned on the painting in order to indulge myself in finishing some blogging??......

A Weekend in Pictures.....Part 1

Friday Night:::
There is nothing more delicious than our Homemade Pizza. As usual Mummy made the base and Mia masterfully layered the topping.

Dessert....children in bed, last glass of wine, some Green and Blacks Maya Gold plus embroidery and beading of some long waiting projects. Pure indulgence.
Saturday Morning:::
My fingers are still itching to continue with my sewing and embroidery but it will have to wait.
Amongst dishes, bed making, baby napping, laundry, second breakfasts and preparing for swimming lessons....20 minutes for tea, toast and quick blogging.

::: Matchbox No 3:::

Rice paper, Tissue paper, Matches, Ink/Stamp

Poor photography sorry.
Hubby had thought I'd gone a little left of field with this matchbox art but is sweetly now saving them all from little hands and lining them up on display on one of our aquariums.

Awww Ma-aaax!

Whats' this you ask?
It used to be my avocado seedling.

Who's this?
THIS IS MAX!

Max is my husbands baby. We have a love/hate relationship. Mostly the latter I'm afraid.

Why would he spitefully do this....again? (My poor brown turkey fig...along with countless other treasured plants over the years have suffered the same treatment. But luckily my fig survived to see another day and another metre or two). Could it be he didn't get dinner on time recently? No...this is usually announced by the incessant slamming of the back sliding door open and shut.....

Hmmm... I've been sleeping on it and I can only put it down to the fact the chooks haven't been free ranging lately and he hasn't been having his little fresh egg treats every morning before I can get to them!

Well one's got to look after and maintain one's shiny coat doesn't one? ( we often have a good giggle when Max is looking particularly shiny and we haven't had eggs in a while).

Yes... well.... avocados will do that too Max.....!

My Grandmother always said "you can't have a garden and have dogs". She's right....chooks too! We have 3 pooches and and two chookies and it's a battle.

But I'm actually grinning, just a little, as I type this.

:::Matchbox No 2:::

Here is matchbox number two!

Cordyline leaves, floss, sand and pebble.

I'm loving this one, this one and this today!

Happy day all.

New arrivals...

My Birthday gifts arrived yesterday....oooh new books!
The Creative Family and Living the Good Life.
Unfortunately it was a busy morning, but not too busy that I didn't get to hold them, flick through them, read the covers and sniff them....yes sniff them! I just love the smell of new books, doesn't everybody sniff new books?

They are quite vastly different genres and I am still undecided as to which I will really break into first! I think I will end up reading both at once.
And in my indecision last night, and knowing in order to really care for my new books I did decide I needed a new bookmark (and to make something!). So some handmade paper was put to good use. You can see I have also been experimenting with making some blue paper too.
And today....well....I got 5 minutes to myself this afternoon! So it was a race to boil the kettle for a quick cup of Green Chai and put bottom on daybed on the verandah and devour one introduction!
Hmm I think this is starting out to be a long literary journey this time.....but that's not a bad thing at all.

Weekend Softies and Sweeties....

We had a very quiet weekend at home together...well that's more the norm for us really than anything else. I got a little sewing and baking done....and here is.....

Lolly whose new home is in the arms of our neighbours girl who is now, after the weekend, a very grown up 1 year old! Happy birthday sweetie. (Mia has one of these also but minus the hair...it has now found pride of place interestingly enough in bed along with Ted)
and Ellie made from a free pattern from Softies: 22 friends for you to sew, knit and crochet. Her new home is with a friends little 4 mth old girl who is having a few post birth health struggles. Precious one. I made the card too from some of our handmade paper. and yummo, our treats baked for the week. Narnie muffins.....made slightly unhealthy by adding the icing sugar but it had to be done!

Hope you all had a lovely weekend.